Saturday, March 31, 2012

ACT Today! Calls for Nationwide ACTion to Save U.S. Children from Autism Epidemic

ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!) calls the nation to help save a generation of children the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports as having autism; latest CDC research shows 1 in every 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder.

ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!), a national non-profit organization whose mission is to provide care and treatment to children with autism, has issued a call-to-action to the American public to “act today” and help bridge the gap of care and treatment for the reportedly one million children battling autism. ACT Today! hopes the call-to-action will serve not only as a wake-up call but will encourage the nation to hold itself accountable in finding a solution to the autism crisis it is currently facing.

"With the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that 1 in 88 children in the United States is currently diagnosed with autism, we can confidently say we have a true epidemic that is impacting a generation of children,” says ACT Today! Executive Director Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson.

“ACT Today! cannot shoulder the burden of this epidemic alone. We join other autism organizations in calling for a National Strategy from the federal and state governments and private sector in dealing with this crisis.”

The CDC released its latest report this past Thursday, showing autism rates increasing rapidly and re-confirming that autism spectrum disorders are more prevalent than juvenile diabetes, childhood cancer and pediatric AIDS combined. The largest increases nationwide were among Hispanic and African-American children.

The report does not specify if the increases reflect better autism awareness, thereby leading to diagnosis and access to services, or actual increases in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal/nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include Autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), Pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger syndrome.

“The process will take time and money,” adds Alspaugh-Jackson. “It will also take teamwork which includes the general public, corporations and businesses, civic groups, churches and religious organizations, as well as schools and youth groups.”

ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources and funding to families of children with autism who cannot afford or access the necessary tools their children need to reach their full potential. For more information about ACT Today!, visit: www.act-today.org.

1 comment:

My son was 11 when he was diagnosed with PODNOS. He was mis diagnosed at 3 as having ADHD. The school and drs said it was common to happen since symptoms are very similar. A few years ago they said ADHD was on the rise but maybe it was just easier for people to say ADHD instead of Autism.